Assorting and filing device



July 15, 1941.

R. EQBAUDER ASSORTING AND FILING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 24, 1940 2 Raymond EBcbucLer Q wl'l'NEss 7!. 11)

Patented July 15 1941 UNITED STATES PAT-arom AssoRTING AND FILING DEVICE Raymond Edward Bauder, Chicago, n1, Application October 24, 1940, Serial No. 362,666

v 4 Claims. (01.?129-15) The invention aims to provide a new and improved article for use by banks and other business establishments to facilitate assorting and filing of cards, checks and the like, said article having a plurality of upwardly open pockets into which the cards or the like may be easily placed and from which they may be removed with equal ease, the entire device being longitudinally extensible and retractable according to the number of cards or the like which it must hold.

In carrying out the above end, a further object is to provide an unusually inexpensive device of the class set forth which may be formed in its entirety from more or less resilient and flexible paper such as manila paper of the thickness used say for shipping tags, the construction, however, being such that the device is provided with relatively stiff front and rear end members which assist materially in supporting the device when removed from a filing drawer and placed upon a desk or the like, as well as adding to its effective life. With the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, description being accomplished by reference to the accompanying drawmgs.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing one form of the device.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing another form of construction.

In constructing the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2, I make use of two elongated sheets of more or less resilient paper or other desired sheet material, one of said sheets being of greater length than the other. The longer of the two sheets is accordion-plaited transversely to provide pockets 5 each having a front wall 6 and a rear wall I, said walls being disposed in upwardly diverging relation and being joined at their lower edges by a crease 8. The front wall 6 of each pocket is also joined to the rear wall I of the next adjacent pocket by a crease 9 at the upper edges of said walls, and it is preferable that the upper edge portion H) of each rear wall I be inclined less steeply than the major portion of said rear wall, to conspicuously carry a pocket identification, such as a number, to which the reference character H is applied.

After forming the front wall 6 of the foremost of the pockets 5, one end I2 of the sheet is extended downwardly as shown at l2,- and after forming the rear side wall I of the rearmost of said pockets, the oth'er' end I2 of the sheet is extended downwardly, the lower edges of the downwardly extended ends l2and l2 being in the same horizontal plane with the creases 8.

f The shorter of the two sheets above mentioned, underlies the first accordion-folded sheet and is itself accordion folded to provide channels l3, each having a frontwall l4 and a rear wall l5 joined at theirfl lower edges by a crease It, the frontwall of each channel being joined to the rear wall of' the' next adjacent channel by a crease" H. {The creases l6 receive the creases 8 and are glued or otherwise secured thereto, and itwill be observed that the side walls l4 and I5 between these'c'reases are inclined considerably less steeply than the front and rear walls 6 and l of the pockets 5, causing the lower accordionplaited sheet to tend to hold the entire device against longitudinal extension except when pulled. The article, however, may be extended andretracted longitudinally according to the number of cards, checks or the like to be placed in the pockets 5 1 I I After forming the front wall M of the foremost channel l3, one end of the lower sheet is extended downwardly at l9' to the lower edge of the sheet end I 2 above'described, said end of said lower sheet being then folded upwardly around the lower edge of the upper sheet end l2 as shown at 20 and having its terminal portion 2| glued or otherwise secured against said end I2, whereby l2 and 2| cooperate in forming a relatively stiff two-ply front end member for the article.

After forming the rear wall 15 of the rearmost channel l3, the other end of the lower sheet is extended downwardly at H! to the lower edge of the end l2 of the-upper sheet, being folded upwardly around said lower edge as denoted at 20' and having its terminal portion 2| glued or otherwise secured against said end 12, again providing a two-ply end member.

In the form of construction shown in Fig. 3, the pockets 5*, channels [3 and front and rear stifi' end members 2W are formed in the same manner as above described, the only difference between this form and that first explained, being that each rear wall is in a single plane throughout its area instead of having a less steeply inclined upper edge portion such as above described at I0. I

Any'form of the device may be easily and inexpensively manufactured and sold at a reasonable price, may be used to advantage whether merely assorting cards or the like or filing them away, and it will be seen that the article may be extended or retracted according to the number of cards which it must hold. When more or less extended, all of the pockets open to such an extent as to readily free the cards or the like held thereby, or to permit others to be inserted by more or less of a tossing or dropping action instead of a pushing action as often required with conventional card filing devices. The article is particularly of advantage in banks in which the paid checks of various customers must be assorted and returned periodically with statements.

The details of construction disclosed are preferably followed but within the scope of the invention as claimed, minor variations may be made. I.

I claim:

1. A longitudinally extensible and retractable assortingand filing device comprising an elongated sheet of resilient material plaited transversely to provide a plurality of upwardly open pockets each having upwardly diverging front and rear-walls connected at their lower edges, and a longitudinal flexible member underlying said sheet and secured to the connected lower edges of said pockets to insure substantially uniform opening of said pockets when the device is extended from a relatively collapsed condition.

2'. A'longitudinally extensible and retractable assorting and filing device comprising an elongated sheet of resilient material plaited transversely to provide a plurality of upwardly open pockets each having upwardly diverging front and rear walls connected at their lower edges, and a secon'd resilient sheet underlying the first mentioned sheet and plaited to provide relatively shallow channels each having front and rear walls of considerably less height than said pocket walls and diverging upwardly more widely than said pocket walls, the connected lower edges of said pocket walls being secured in said channels.

3. A longitudinally extensible and retractable assorting and filing device comprising an elongated sheet of resilient material plaited transversely to provide a plurality of upwardly open pockets each having upwardly diverging front and rear walls connected at their lower edges, one end of said sheet after forming the front wall of the foremost pocket being extended downwardly, the other end of said sheet after forming the rear wall of the rearmost pocket being also extended downwardly, and a second resilient sheet underlying the first mentioned sheet and plaited to provide relatively shallow channels each having front and rear walls of considerably less height than said pocket walls and diverging upwardly more widely than said pocket walls, the connected lower edges of said pocket walls being secured in said channels, the ends of said second sheet being folded upwardly and secured against said downwardly extended ends of the first mentioned sheet to cooperate therewith in forming relatively stiff two-ply front and rear members.

4. A. longitudinally extensible and retractable assorting and filing device comprising an elongated sheet of resilient material plaited transversely to provide a plurality of upwardly open pockets each having upwardly diverging front and rear walls connected at their lower edges, one end of said sheet after forming the front wall of the foremost pocket being extended downwardly, the other end of said sheet after forming the rear wall of the rearmost pocket being also extended downwardly, and a second resilient sheet underlying the first mentioned sheet and plaited to provide relatively shallow channels each having front and rear walls of considerably less height than said pocket walls and diverging upwardly more widely than said pocket walls, the connected lower edges of said pocket walls being secured in said channels, one end of said second sheet after forming the front wall of the foremost channel being extended downwardly to the lower edge of said one downwardly extended end of the first mentioned sheet and being then folded upwardly and secured against this end of said first mentioned sheet; the other end of said second sheet after forming the rear wall of the rearmost channel being extended downwardly to the lower edge of said other downwardly extended end of said first mentioned sheet and being then folded upwardly and secured against this end of said first mentioned sheet.

RAYMOND E. BAUDER. 

